Toyota Aygo Go! 1.0 VVT-i MultiMode 3dr Car Review - March 2012

One of the main reasons that people will find the Aygo practical is that it is really small, but the steering doesn’t seem as light as it should be. The ride of the Aygo is quite hard and transmits many of the bumps and potholes in the roads into the cabin, and because of the small wheels it can often run out of grip when cornering. One benefit of such a small car is that visibility is good to the front and the rear, but an issue with the driving position is that there is no seat height adjustment and the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach either.

The 1.0 litre VVT-I engine isn’t the most powerful of engines, but because the Aygo is a very light car it still doesn’t feel underpowered, at least when you’re driving around town. Acceleration from 0-62mph takes place in 14.9 seconds, and the top speed of 98mph is enough for motorway driving, although the cabin can get quite noisy with the wind and engine noise being audible when driving at speed.

The Aygo is quite an attractive car opting for the bulging curves that many smaller cars are designed with, and the small grille and larger intake below do give the car a nice front end. The rear wheel arches bulge significantly, and the tail light clusters are small and tidy, and on the whole the car is quite attractive. Inside the cabin the car does feel quite basic, but the large speedometer dominates the dashboard and is bright and easy to read.

This version of the Aygo does have more features than the most basic version, and the inclusion of alloy wheels and an integrated satellite navigation system is quite good. The CD stereo comes with a good MP3 player socket, and on the whole the level of equipment isn’t too bad for such a small car, but this is reflected in the price of this model.

The practicality of the Toyota Aygo will largely depend on the use you are planning for the car, and the small stature means it is easy to park and nippy around town, but isn’t so good on longer journeys. Taller passengers will find that there will be very little space behind the front seats, although the Aygo can in theory carry four people, but the tiny boot means that luggage space is minimal.

Toyota do have a very good reputation for making reliable cars, and the Aygo has been supporting this reputation so far. The Aygo hasn’t been submitted to the Euro NCAP safety test, but it is supplied with driver and passenger airbags and side airbags as standard. One disappointment is that ESP and traction control haven’t been included to improve the car’s safety on the road.

Generally the Aygo is a very cheap car to buy and own, but this version is toward the top of the scale with the list price of £10,875.

Running costs for the Aygo are very good, with the 1.0 litre engine able to achieve fuel efficiency of an average 61.4mpg, which is exceptionally good for an automatic engine. Insuring the Aygo is also very cheap with a low insurance group, and the practicality of these small cars should mean that depreciation isn’t too bad either. The Aygo is supplied with an excellent five year or ninety-nine thousand mile warranty, and has a one year membership of the AA.